I am not good at stir fry. As much as I love to cook and think I am pretty good at it, that is one thing I just cannot master. I don't know what it is. Maybe I am scared of a wok, maybe I am bad at Asian flavors or maybe I just can't do a sauce right. Whatever it is, I need to work on it.
I pinned this recently for sweet and sour chicken and thought I should make it. It was stir fry, but with an interesting sauce and the meat was breaded which I hadn't tried. I have not used a wok since I moved into My Shitty Kitchen (and really didn't at the old house since my sous chef was an excellent stir fryer with a much fancier wok) and I thought it was time to pull it out.
I decided to doctor up the sauce and remove the sugar. Ketchup has enough sugar and the thought of adding sugar to it gave me a cavity and gain two pounds. I was so glad I did, I did not miss it at all. What I should have done was cut down on the sauce, I had too much since I cut the amount of chicken down and left out the rice. I added some broccoli and onion to give it more of a veggie punch and that make me feel better about breading the chicken.
Bottom line, this was good, easy and I would make it again, probably with more veggies next time. The original recipe called for serving over rice, if you are not a little to no carber like me that would probably be an excellent addition. I also think if you leave out the broccoli if they aren't fans this is an excellent recipe for kids. What is your favorite stir fry recipe? Are you challenged at it like me? Full recipe after the montage!
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| All the ingredients. I had to run around the corner and borrow ketchup from one of my work besties that lives close by, I forgot I was out! |
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| The sauce. I wonder what it would look like with the sugar. It was such a good thing I left it out. |
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| If you have been around here for awhile you know I love an assembly line! |
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| Remember I was just cooking for me, that's just one portion. Woks cook things so fast! |
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| Remove the chicken and add the veggies, except the garlic. |
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| That goes in later when you have some color on your onions. |
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| Remove them to a bowl and sprinkle some sesame seeds on top. |
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| Whenever I made a slurry I always think about that scene from When Harry Met Sally in the Sharper Image for some reason. That is probably my favorite movie. |
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| Add your sauce and slurry to the wok. Fringe on top optional. |
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| Add back the chicken. I removed some sauce and should have removed more. |
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| And plate. I garnished with more sesame seeds and some sliced green onions. |
Sweet and Sour Chicken with Sesame Veggies (Adapted from Lizzy Write)
1 pound boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 eggs
1/2 cup cornstarch
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 pound green beans, cleaned and trimmed
1 onion sliced
1 cup broccoli, chopped into tiny pieces
2 cloves of garlic, sliced
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon soy sauce
3-4 green onions, sliced (for serving)
1 teaspoon sesame seeds (for serving)
Sauce:
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1/3 cup ketchup
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
Combine sauce ingredients in a bowl and whisk until well combined. Set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs and season with salt and pepper. In another bowl, add the cornstarch and set aside. In a large wok, heat the oil over medium high heat. Dip the chicken in the egg and then the cornstarch, shaking off excess, and then set carefully into hot oil. Fry chicken in wok until golden brown and cooked through, about 7 minutes. (you may need to do two batches). Remove chicken from wok and drain wok of excess oil but don't clean. Add green beans, broccoli, onions, sesame oil and soy sauce. Cook until onions have some color (about 7 minutes), stirring occasionally. Add in your garlic and stir. Remove vegetables from wok and garnish with sesame seeds. Add sauce to the wok and bring to a boil. Cook, stirring continuously, for 1 minute until the sauce starts to reduce. Make a cornstarch slurry, by mixing 1 teaspoon cornstarch with 1 teaspoon cold water, and add it to the sauce to thicken. Add chicken and stir to coat with sauce. Plate the veggies, top with chicken and sauce and enjoy!
Happy Cooking!
Missy
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